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Please note that I received free products to help facilitate this review. This does not influence my opinion.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

With summer coming and school/preschool almost out, it can be hard to find ways to keep kids entertained. We have a couple of outdoor items that are perfect for great weather. Here are some of our favorites:

1. Kiddie Pool - I got a Kiddie Pool last year and it was awesome! My kids love it! They wade in it, dump balls/toys in it, splash around. It's a pretty inexpensive item and a bargain when you consider how much entertainment kids can get from it. Since the weather has warmed up, we've been using it everyday. My kids will spend a long time playing in it.

2. Bubbles - Every year, I buy multiple big bottles of bubbles. When my kids were little, I would blow the bubbles for them. As my kids have gotten older, they want to blow bubbles themselves resulting in many spills. I usually invest in the bigger container of bubbles. Some stores only sell bubble solution in spring/summer so it's nice to stock up while it's available. It's hard to find bubble solutions in the fall!

3. Sidewalk Chalk - Sidewalk chalk is versatile and fun! You can use it to make art, hopscotch, practice writing skills, outdoor games and more. My son recently started drawing car "tracks" for his cars to drive on. There's numerous things that kids can do with chalk.

4. Sand Bucket and Shovel - I do weeding and gardening sometimes when my kids are playing outside. Sometimes they like to "help" too and it's nice that they have their own shovels to use and pails instead of always trying to steal my gardening spade. It's also great to have on days that we go to the beach or lake.

5. Playground/Outdoor Ball - We have a couple of playground outdoor balls that are great for kicking or playing catch. My kids don't play with these all the time, but it's great for them to practice catching, throwing, kicking. It's fun to also to have balls around to play kickball and/or other outdoor games.

What are some of your outdoor "must-haves" for kids?

Please also note that this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

5. Go to a State Park: Idaho has many state parks with great outdoor activities. It's always fun to go to a State Park. State parks are great for hiking, swimming, and lots of outdoor recreation activities. If you participate in the Boise Library! Summer Reading Program, you can earn a free state park pass.

6. Bowling: We signed up for the Kids Bowl Free program for the Summer. There are a few locations in Boise that participate in this program. The only cost is for rental shoes and it's a great way to beat the summer heat. To learn about the Kids Bowl Free program, click here.

7. Go to Boise Farmer's/Capital City Market: We drove past the Capital City Market on a Saturday and it's expanded since last year. It would be fun to check it out this summer and to check out the Boise Farmer's Market on 10th and Grove.

8. Hike: There are lots of great trails in the foothills. It would be fun to explore something new.

9. Fishing: My husband and I got our fishing licenses and we attend to use them this summer! There are several different fishing spots around Boise for us to try. The kids enjoy fishing as well.

10. Visit the MK Nature Center: My kids love going to the MK Nature Center and seeing the exhibits. They enjoy looking at the fish, signage and walking the trails.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Barnes and Noble (You can save $5 off the order of 2 books on Barnes and Noble until May 23 with the code "bookish" and get 2% off your order through Ebates)

Lehi, Lehi, What Do You See? introduces children to Book of Mormon prophets and colors. The illustrations are attractive and brightly colored to engage young readers. The text is easy to read and understand.To learn more about, Lehi, Lehi, What Do You See? click here.

Please also note that this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Summary

The Road To Freedom, a novel, by Shawn Pollock shares the story of two German Soldiers, Captain Meier and a young private, stranded behind enemy lines at the end of World War II. As the German work together through Russia, they quickly realize that they need to trust in each other and God to escape alive.

Author Bio

Shawn Pollock grew up in Cache Valley Utah. He served a mission in Japan for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and graduated from Utah State with degrees in Professional Writing and Instructional Technology. The Road to Freedom is his first novel. Check out Shawn Pollock's Facebook page by clicking here.

Review
I've read a couple of fiction books this year and last year dealing with WWII: the beginnings of the war, during the war and the aftermath. Most of those books' characters are civilians dealing with the effects of war(Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Maryann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Last Waltz by G.G. Vandagriff, Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr).

The Road to Freedom is unique in that the main characters would normally be considered the "enemy" to most people from allied countries. Another unique trait of the book is that one of the German Soldiers is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and carries around a Book of Mormon with a picture of an American missionary who helped him discover his faith. As the German soldiers try to find their way back home safely they relive memories and share beliefs that help provide an understanding as to who they are and who they want to be. It was interesting to see the perspectives of the characters and what brought them into the conflict. I think this novel is appealing to both male and female audiences - teens to adults. The book is clean and interesting to read. As I was reading this book, the struggle of remaining alive behind enemy lines reminded me of the movies, Saints and Soldiers and the end of The Great Escape. This is a great story to read for Memorial Day and a great gift idea for Father's Day. To learn more about The Road to Freedom, click here (Currently, the kindle version is only.99 on Amazon, a great deal!).

Please note that I received a free digital copy of this book to facilitate this review. This does not impact or influence my opinion. Please also note that this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Thursday, May 17, 2018

As I was sorting laundry, I heard my 2-year old daughter yelling, "I found money. I found money." She had pulled my wallet out of my purse and found a few dollar bills. I think she was excited because I always tell my kids when they want to go out to eat that we don't have money to do that. I really mean we don't have money in our budget to do that and we have food at home. It's hard for kids to understand the value of money, budgeting and saving. If we immediately met our wants, there wouldn't be enough for the necessities. Some people also over-justify their necessities by living in bigger houses, more expensive clothes, expensive or over-abundance of food, and etc. It's important for adults to show self-control over spending as an example to children.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

About the Book

Genre: Children’s, LDS, Religious

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Publication Date: May 1, 2018

Learn all about the prophets and heroes in the Book of Mormon! This
colorful picture book uses a simple question-and-answer format to help
children discover who built a boat, who saved the king’s sheep, and who
climbed up on a wall to tell the people to repent. An easy-to-read
introduction to scripture stories that’s fun for the whole family!

Learn all about the prophets and heroes in the Book of Mormon! This
colorful picture book uses a simple question-and-answer format to help
children discover who built a boat, who saved the king’s sheep, and who
climbed up on a wall to tell the people to repent. An easy-to-read
introduction to scripture stories that’s fun for the whole family!

Molly has been writing stories since she learned to read them. She
earned her degree in English at Brigham Young University, where she was
studying when she fell in love with
her husband while on a road trip.
They have since continued exploring the world together and have three
amazing children. She loves reading, writing, traveling, being outside
and exploring new places with her favorite people. She currently lives
nestled in the pines in Arizona with her family. FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Review

As soon as we received Guess Who's In The Book of Mormon in the mail, I read it to my kids (ages 4 and 2) and asked for their opinion. They weren't too sure about it at first, but then over the past several days they asked for the book to be read to them again and again. The text is easy to read, rhymes and is simple for younger kids. I also like that the text isn't too heavy or wordy. There are a lot of LDS picture books that are very wordy and long, which makes it harder for little kids to pay attention or stay interested. This book is simple enough that younger kids are able to stay interested in it and enjoy it. The Book of Mormon heroes portrayed in the book are illustrated as kids, which I think helps kids to relate to the heroes more. The book is great to use as an introduction to Book of Mormon heroes. To learn more about, Guess Who's In The Book of Mormon, click here.

Please note: I received a copy of Guess Who's in the Book of Mormon to help facilitate this review, however, my opinion still remains my own. This review also contains Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Monday, May 14, 2018

The best socks for kids are plain white with the sizes on the sole. White socks can be passed down from brother to sister or sister to brother without any issues. As a first time mom, I picked out for my son many "masculine" socks and with my second kid, a girl, I realized most of those socks do not match pink, purple or "feminine" colored outfits. I've also come to realize that it becomes harder to distinguish sizes later on baby and toddler socks if the socks aren't labeled on the sole. For first time mothers, I highly recommend getting plain white socks with the size on the sock sole. The socks will go with any outfit and any gender without any issue. It will also save you money in the long run if you have kids with different genders and you want to pass-down socks.

What tips do you have that could help save money or help ease hand-me-down issues?

Thursday, May 3, 2018

About the Book

Ever wondered what happens when you mix dragon saliva with a powdered
unicorn horn? Find out when you create your very own wizarding potions!
Mixing science with fantasy, this book is full of fun concoctions your
kids will want to make again and again. Each elixir uses common
household ingredients to create cool chemical reactions for magical
results!

Jennifer K. Clark is a full-time author, a hobby artist, and a
Halloween enthusiast. She lives in central Utah where she spends her
time writing books and having conversations with the characters in her
head. (Yes, she’s one of those people.) She is a multi-genre author and
has written Renaissance romance, contemporary suspense, YA, and
children’s activity books. In her spare time, she loves to be creative
and has done everything from building a secret passage in her home to
making handmade books. She makes every day an adventure.

I’m
a huge Halloween fan, and I was working on making a potions book as a
Halloween prop. I like things to be authentic, so I decided to include
actual potions adapted from science experiments. My kids absolutely
loved it! I was teaching art at the time, so I took the potions book to
school and my students went crazy over the wizard-style experiments.
Pretty soon, I had people inviting me to other schools and to parties to
make my “potions”. Everywhere I went, someone wanted a copy of my book.
It was a no-brainer from there—I needed to publish a version of my
book. The end result is THE WIZARD’S WORKSHOP.

What do you hope will be gained by children/families using this book?

I want readers to create their own world of magic—to take a piece of fantasy and move it into the real world.We are only limited by our own imagination.

What's the best way for families to implement this book?Go
all out. Kids love to play make-believe, and creating magical scenarios
will kick-start their imagination. This book is intended to be used for
more than just science experiments. It's about creating those magical
moments that kids dream about and making memories, so don't be afraid to
dress up, print the labels from the website, and role-play.

Sketches

Snippet
The Wizard’s Workshop is dotted with handwritten notes and jokes from
a previous owner along with silly annotations for each experiment such
as: TROLL SNOT OR GOBLIN GOO Many people still prefer troll snot over
Goblin Goo, however it is no longer legal to collect snot form trolls,
and therefore Goblin Goo should be used instead. Please note that anyone
found picking a troll’s nose or collecting troll snot will face a board
of inquiries lead by the head troll, Mr. Iva P. Brain. (GOBLIN GOO
experiment pg. 40)

ZOMBIE FIRE This potion was invented by Professor Willy Rott in 1879.
Willy Rott was a well-known scientist, but after making this potion
several times, he is now a well-known zombie. (He was not a very fast
runner). (ZOMBIE FIRE experiment pg. 36)

EXPLODING FOG FLUID This potion was made famous by Mr. Darren Deeds
who made a sport of putting Exploding Fog Fluid into the drinks of
giants and then drawing mustaches on their faces once they were asleep.
Although this can be a fun past time, please note that it is dangerous.
As Mr. Darren Deeds can attest to, it is not very fun when a giant
refuses to drink the potion and decides to sit on you instead.
(EXPLODING FOG FLUID experiment pg. 52)

NOTE: If you want to give the stones additional power then you must
perform the spell under the light of a full moon, standing next to a
large tree (preferably a sycamore tree), facing east, while wearing
mismatched socks. (MAGICAL STONES pg. 87)Review
My family enjoys science experiments and it was fun to try something new and different. We decided to make our own magical stones. My toddler and preschooler enjoyed making the stones and then decorating them with washable paint. Several experiments in the book were new to me and will be fun to try. A couple of them will require adult supervision and help as they suggest using a lighter/matches. Most of the ingredients can be found commonly in your home. The list of ingredients was a little difficult to read quickly since they also have a magical name. The magical terms does make the book a little more fun for kids who love magic or fantasy. I can't wait to try more of the experiments with my kids. The magical spells or science experiments will be a fun way to beat any upcoming summer boredom. To learn more about, The Wizard's Workshop, click here.

Please note that I received a free copy of this book to facilitate this review, however, this does not influence my opinion. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an
affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn
fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Saturday, May 5, 12, 19, 26, 2018: Captial City Public Market at 8th and Idaho Streets from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Saturday, May 11, 2018: National Public Gardens Day at
the Idaho Botanical Garden from 9 am to 7 pm. Admission is FREE. Please
note: we went to this one year and I would highly recommend bringing
water, camera, and sunscreen. Click here for more details.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

I like entering low to moderate entry giveaways and I share each
month some of the blog or social media giveaways I've entered, thought
someone else might be interested in entering or that have been submitted
to me through bloggers. Check
back often throughout the month to see if I have posted more giveaways.
If you are hosting a family-friendly
giveaway on your blog and would like to see it listed here, please
contact me (via email). If you have a won a giveaway that I posted, please leave a
comment and share that you won.